updated 07:40 am EDT, Wed April 20, 2011

iPhone 5 may be made in July or August

A trio of sources claimed Wednesday that the iPhone 5's production schedule had been narrowed down to the summer. Production would start at Foxconn in July or August with shipments in September, consistent with talk that Apple would skip WWDC but use its annual music event to launch the phone. One of Reuters' sources echoed beliefs that it would be "largely similar" to the iPhone 4 on the outside.

Familiar suppliers would still be in place, as Largan Precision would build the complete camera modules while Wintek would make the touch layer panels. The raw camera sensor supplier may have changed, though, as Sony hinted its involvement for what's expected to be an eight-megapixel sensor.

A September release would be the first outside of the June to July timeframe for Apple but would be earlier than some analyst claims that had it not even beginning production until then. The blame for the delay has unofficially ranged from the Japanese 9.0-factor earthquake to antenna redesigns, but most believe it's due to a major overhaul in iOS 5 that would necessitate extra time. A set of leaks showing a new multitasking UI and other changes hasn't been verified but may be a clue as to long-term plans.

The phone may or may not have a larger screen but is near certain to use the dual-core A5. A 64GB storage option has been bandied about after more than one prototype was shown carrying the extra flash memory.

IO5 is not an issue

The two don't have to be released together. I suspect that in fact the orders are already in for a July releasing iPhone which will be announced at a Cupertino based event the same week as WWDC or the week after. It will release with 4.3.2 (if whatever point release they are on by then) and then IO5 will release when ready, possibly the Sept Media Event